Slashdot Mirror
Region-free PS3
An anonymous reader writes "IGN writes that "In a QA session following the platform keynote address at GDC 2006 this morning, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios President Phil Harrison confirmed what was heavily demanded for import gamers all over the world and yet previously thought unthinkable for a major corporation: the PS3 will be region-free for gaming." There's no chance that the MPAA members would allow the same for movies but at least it's a step in the right direction."
One of the biggest reasons mod chips tend to be "iffy" is that, while playing illegally-copied games is illegal, playing out-of-region games isn't. This move may buy them more than it costs, since that's one less reason to give for the legitimacy of mod chips. Now if they could just do something about that pesky "backup" excuse.
Region locks should never have existed in first place, they are only there so different publishers can publish the same game in different regions and to enable price fixing.
No matter why this was done, whether to make sure mod chips don't have any legal functions or to really do something useful, it had to be done. Region locks are attempts to suppress international trade and competition. They have been ruled illegal in some countries and are not protected by any DMCA-like laws. There should have been some fines over region locks but well, knowing the corrupt governments we have it'd end up being 5.95$ total.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
This announcement seems all flash and no substance -- Europe will STILL have to have a separate set of games because they use PAL instead of NTSC anyway. What this *might* mean is that more Japanese-market games will be playable by NA gamers. Now don't get me wrong, that's a good thing, but it's hard not to think that the real reason for this is Sony wanting to save money where it can by not creating unnecessary "editions" of the same games.
My sig is too lon
The blurb says 'no chance' the MPAA will get rid of region coding for movies, but if the gaming industry sees a solid business case (as in, they end up with more money), then maybe the MPAA will see the light as well. After all, greed is eternal.
While this was one of the main things keeping modchips legal (as modchips SHOULD be legal), it is a good thing that restrictions like this are starting to be dropped. There's no good reason why games shouldn't work in every region.
So the PS3 will be able to play PS1 and PS2 games... could this mean it'll be region free for those games as well? I finally get to play the Sakura Taisen games released for the PS2 but couldn't because they were dual-layered and wouldn't work with swap discs?
If older games are region-free, the good word of mouth import gamers will be giving Sony will be strong enough to carry over into other markets I think.
I might be very happy.
Let. It. Go. Seriously. Its not even a horse being beat any more. It's the decayed remains of its carcass.
Believe me, they are still the same old rootkit slinging, DRM-pushing, grandma-jailing, DCMA-humping, RIAA-loving Sony they've always been.
Even this move is probably just a ploy to make mod chips even less legitimate, as the first poster said. Call me cynical but companies don't make moves unless they believe that it will increase their revenue somehow. They are planning to make more money off of you in some way, don't ever doubt that.
Whilst it may have region-free games, will all the games actually be available in all markets at the same time? And will online retailers be allowed to ship games over to areas where a certain game hasn't been released yet?
Or is it because Sony is satisfied with the court decisions in the UK, etc. where they successfully sued importers of the PSP for trademark violations?
After all, why worry about the technical hassles of DRM when you can sue the pants off of somebody trying to sell Japanese games in the US, US games in the EU, etc?
Wouldn't this be more part of the BlueRay news instead of PS3 specific news?
Japan and USA to share BlueRay region codes.
Import games and movies here I come!
Yeah, but maybe they could think about doing that by pleasing their customers, eh?
While I see your point, I hope you are wrong :-)
In case of a book, you are purchasing an OBJECT.
A license is not dependable on a physical object, but grants you a right to use. The object/CD, is only there to help transfer that right to use. Hence, if it's broken, there should be a cheaper replacement than buying a new license.
-b0fh
"You don't get to make a backup of books, art, or other physical media that is non-electronic"
This looks like a good starter. Of COURSE I can make a backup of these. You see, I own them, this entitles me to back them up should I so desire. Of course, how I go about it is left up to me. I could certainly scan in the book to store on my computer, and depending on the medium of the art I could take a hires digital image or scan.
"We no longer live in the age of VCRs eating tapes though, and on the rediculously rare (relative to tape eating) chance that your device does damage your disc, the player manufacturer should be responsible for procuring you a replacement. "
You're right, we live in a the age where companies actively look for ways to make our old recordings obsolete with the newer players so we have to rebuy it all over again. Add to that the pathetically short lifespan of CD and DVDs and there is a damn good chance your media will become worthless just as quickly as it did with VHS.
"If, however, you roll over your favorite video game CD with your office chair (not I know anybody who has ever done that...), why should you have more right to a replacement than the guy who had his paperback fall out of his jacket pocket into the toilet on a bus (not that... well, you know)?"
The answer to this one lies in the depths of property law, and while IANAL, the difference seems to be that while you actually OWN the book, the trend these days with software and music etc. is to sell/rent you a license to use it. This makes the physical media irrelevant. So if I don't actually own something, but only have a license from the company to use it, then if I break it they had damn well better get me a new physical copy for nothing more than the cost of the physical media and shipping. They can't have their cake and eat it to, despite their best efforts.
"DRM should never prevent you from doing something with your media that would have otherwise been legal under copyright law, but I'm not convinced that there is a good reason for the law to allow backups."
If you can't think of any good reason for the law the allow backups, perhaps you are not qualified to debate this since in order to debate something correctly you need to have a thorough understanding of BOTH sides of the matter, which you CLEARLY do not.
Please don't take this response in a negative tone...I just wanted to point out that there are serious holes in your logic and attempted to patch them up.
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
Yes, but perhaps they've learned that that pleasing customers is more important to their bottom line than preventing piracy.
I don't care if they're only after money. Sony is a company. It's what they do. What I do care about is how much I benefit from this.
is that companies distrbuting games and other content want to have it both ways. On one hand, they say that they have "licensed" you the content, and thus you do not have the right to make copies. Your license allows you to have one instance of the content. On the other hand, they say that they have "sold" you the physical media, and if anything happens to the CD/DVD, it's something you owned that is now distroyed. Your purchase allows you to have one instance of the physical object.
IMO, it should work one way or the other:
If they're licensing the content, then if the physical media is destroyed and you can't exercise your license, there should be some way to either get some money back (since you've lost the use of the "perpetual" license you were sold) or to replace the media so you can exercise your right to the license.
If they are selling a physical object, then you should be able to duplicate its contents freely, in case the object is destroyed.
The way things are right now, the content distributers have all the rights, and the content purchasers are in a sort of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" bind. Duplicate your content, and you're a piratical anarchist. Don't, and it's quite likely that you'll be out of luck when the physical object is damaged.
This is currently a problem for me. I bought Civ 4 to play on my Windows game machine. I played it for about three months before the CD got scratched. While the scratches were my fault (I failed to take into account how much dust was accumulating in the PC) now the $30 game that I purchased is unusable. Since I purchased a perpetual license, is it OK for me to download an iso of the game CD and burn it so I can play? Not according to the game publisher.
I'm not talking about what is currently legal. I'm making a point that the way things stand right now, a lot of people are frustrated with the seeming one-sideness of content distribution as it's implemented right now.
Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
You obviously don't have children. After buffing the scratches out of the Finding Nemo DVD for the fifth time, I was ready to go back to VHS. Then I discovered DVD Shrink. The original stays in the case and when the kids scratch the copy too badly to be played, I throw it away and make a new copy. Consumers need the rights to protect their property.
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
You don't get to make a backup of books, art, or other physical media that is non-electronic...
Remove the "get to" and you're fairly accurate. It's time-consuming, the result is usually inferior and generally not worth it unless you do it in volume, which would fall outside personal backups. Also, typically if a work is valuable the value is inherently contained in that instance of the work - a first edition, a signed book, an orignal painting, an antique and so on. Also, you have insurance which will cover against the biggest losses. Maybe nobody has bothered to make a fuzz over a right noone is or would be using?
If, however, you roll over your favorite video game CD with your office chair (not I know anybody who has ever done that...), why should you have more right to a replacement than the guy who had his paperback fall out of his jacket pocket into the toilet on a bus (not that... well, you know)?
You have a very warped perception of what the CD, as in the thin slice of plastic that something is written on, represents. If you compare the price to a blank CD, you see I pay essentially nothing for the disc, only for the information that's on it. The disc itself is detachable, replacable and infinately less durable than the content which could be moved around losslessly in perpetuity.
To me, not being allowed to replace the media is like not being allowed to replace the windshield wiper on my car. If I ask them, they say "Ford cars and Ford windshield wipers go together, replacing it with a generic wiper is against the law." "Ok, where do I get a new wiper?" "It's included with Ford cars." It just so happens that the car (content) is intangible and the wiper (disc) is tangible, but it is none the less insane.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
but I'm not convinced that there is a good reason for the law to allow backups.
I am. Why? Because
a) it's technically possible to do
b) *I* can do it myself
c) It's not specifically outlawed
And when your children render a disc unreadable just by mishandling it?
Use the appropriate dicipline to teach your children not to mishandle your media, or don't allow your children to handle the media. Why are people so afraid to dicipline their children these days? Your kids should be scared to death of damaging your stuff. They'll grow up just fine, and they won't hate you. You can start *really young*.
What do you do when your kid spills whatever you put in their sippy cup all over some book you left lying around? Or scribbles all over it with a crayon?